Eastland Park is a small neighborhood park situated at the corner of Douglas and Chapel in East…read moreNashville and offers a simple, but good time outdoors. I came by for the walking path, which is .25 miles long and circles around the perimeter of the park. Inside that perimeter sits a bit of open green space, a covered picnic area, basketball course and a playground. There are no restrooms or water fountains here. The park is no frills and offers a small space for the neighborhood to get out and about in. Overall, keeps me outside and in the super walkable East Nashville neighborhoods, so I am a fan.

I stopped with my son so he could stretch his legs while running errands…read more This park has two play areas, one for smaller kids and another for bigger kids. There's also a small basketball court, a swing set, and field to run around. There isn't a designated parking area, just street parking. The park was pretty clean when we were here, except for a empty water bottles on the basketball court. This does seem like the neighborhood hot spot for dog bathrooms breaks so watch your shoes while running around in the field. There's plenty of trash cans here so hopefully people cleanup after their pets. My only real concern is the park is not fully gated in, so kids can easily run into the street and the cars driving near the park do not slow down. Stay vigilante!

Watkins Park was established in 1901, and has 8 acres. It has a community center, a playground,…read morepublic restrooms, picnic shelters, a baseball field, a basketball court, tennis courts, a spray park, a pump track for bikes and skateboards, and a paved walking/jogging path. This park was the FIRST public park in Nashville! Samuel Watkins was a Nashvillian who served in the War of 1812. As a brick-maker and construction contractor, he became independently wealthy, even securing the business for the construction of the State Capital building, and eventually funding the Watkins Institute. The land had been privately owned by Watkins, but used for public purposes such as political rallies and school commencement ceremonies. During the Civil War, Union soldiers overran the park, and basically ruined a lot of the natural resources on the land. He donated this land, named at the time "Watkins Gove" to the city of Nashville in 1870. The city of Nashville opened the park in 1901, setting up the landscaping by natural citizens, and setting up the first children's playground in the city here. The park is beautiful. It packs a LOT in a relatively small space. It's historically significant, as well. It was only due to the popularity of the park and playground that the city of Nashville began seriously acquiring land and plopping as many playgrounds down as they could. Standing in the park, you can see the State Capital building, and it gives you a real sense of appreciation for the gift Samuel Watkins truly was to the city.

Watkins Park is a pretty perfect city park -- and I'm a bit surprised that I am the first person…read more(on Yelp) to review it.* The park itself is located in the Charlotte Pike no man's land that seems to change names every other year. Watkins Park? Fang? Something else? Who knows. When/if looking for the park, aim for MLK High and it's right across the street. The area has gone through some significant changes over the years and what you knew about it, say, 8 years ago is no longer accurate (like a good amount of Nashville these days). But this review isn't about the area, it's about the park. And, the park is pretty awesome. With it being just west of Downtown (and with large buildings slowly moving past the interstate), you can get some lovely skyline views while in the park. It's bordered by trees and a stone fence that gives an unexpected bit of character to a city park. There are plenty of mature trees and a good bit of flat green space, making me think it's lovely in the spring time. If you're a walker/runner, the park has a trail just for that. It's a circle (or, circular) so while there are no hills to choose from, you're assured not to get lost. If you're looking for exercise that comes from not running in circles, you're in luck. There's a large tennis court, a basketball court, a couple of playgrounds for the kiddos, a baseball diamond, and a SPLASH PAD! Yep, all of this... in a city park. Fantastic, right? Smack dab in the middle of the action is a large pavilion perfecting for family reunions, cookouts and other food gatherings meant to be shared under wood coverings while outside. The park itself has a nice amount of lot parking, which is helpful since street parking is a bit of an issue. And if all of this isn't enough to get you to visit, Greenbrier Distillery and Marathon Music Works are just beyond the train tracks and tree border. Given Watkins Park's design and proximity to so much, I'm pretty shocked by the low traffic. As much as I hate the phrase, it seems like it's a hidden gem for green space lovers. In the middle of a busy cityscape, I was shocked to experience such a well-planned and paid-out park. Watkins Park has charm, space, activities, and loads of natural beauty. Spring is coming. You should spend some of it here. *Well, not really.

A small park that is mainly a children's playground, however there is a small bench and picnic…read moretable for parents to hang out as their kids play. This is not a place to come walk around, however I am sure it suits the neighborhood fine, especially the people with small children.

There's not a whole lot publicly known about this park. But I can absolutely tell you why that is!…read more The city of Berry Hill is a satellite city in Nashville. The land itself was originally owned by William Wells Berry (1813-1876) who was the President of Third National Bank, and a wealthy landowner in town. In 1950, the people of this neighborhood voted to become it's own city, splitting from the incorporated city of Nashville. The city, in 1950, at its founding, was 1 square mile, and had less than 1,300 residents. Since then, many residents have moved out, selling their homes to local businesses. Today, there are less than 600 residents. It's important to know this, as this area of town is very quaint, with many 1950's style homes, many of which maintain that structure and charm while housing businesses. You may find yourself shopping for jewelry in what used to be someone's bedroom. While still a city, since Nashville was incorporated as a metropolitan city, it governs over Berry Hill much like a county. There are three parks in the center of Berry Hill. Iris Park is a very cute little playground. I really enjoyed the fact that the playground equipment is unique, and not the same, industrialized plasticy equipment you will find in every metro Nashville park. Berry Hill has a lot of personality, so it makes sense that its park would too.

This playground has been redone. Hands down the best park we've ever been to in Nashville…read moreTennessee. It has a unique setup with things I've never seen at another playground. I even went down the slide and it's pretty fast and fun. My 4 year old didn't want to leave. It has a basketball court, walking trail, huge playground. Highly recommend.

Founded in 1983, Clinton B. Fisk Park has 7 acres, a playground, public restrooms, picnic shelters,…read morea basketball court, and a paved walking/jogging path. It is named after Clinton Bowen Fisk, also the namesake of Fisk University, a government official during Reconstruction who endowed $30,000 to Fisk University to educated former slaves. It was originally called "North Fisk Park". The name then evolved to "Fisk Park". It then evolved to it's current day formal "Clinton B. Fisk Park". It's a really cool park for three reasons: 1) There's not a lot of overhanging greenery or obstructed views. Neighbors can see the whole park from their kitchen windows, and parents can see everything from the picnic tables at the center of the park. 2) The outside perimeter of the park has a paved walking/jogging path with intermittent fitness stops. There are bars and instructive stretches and fitness exercises. 3) The back border of the park lines against train tracks!

Imagine. It's 1960. You are a member of the board of Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation. Your…read moreboard has dozens of dreams, and is about to enter the golden age of Nashville Parks, and unbeknownst to you, the number of Nashville parks will double in the next decade. One of the ideas that floats around and gets stuck is a big ole' regional park in Green Hills- something at least 40 acres. But, Green Hills experiences a boom in that same decade. Real estate prices soar, and it begins to look like Green Hills will never get their version of a Shelby Park. But then a property adjacent to John Trotwood Moore Middle School becomes condemned. In 1973, the Metro Parks Board, and the Metro Board of Education, couple up to pull the money together to buy the property and fix it up. Green Hills Park opened in 1972 to little fanfare. Being adjacent to a middle school, it had a playground, a soccer/multipurpose field, and a baseball field. In 2006, it received a 2006 remodel, including paved walking path, and additional playgrounds. It has over 13 acres, and is well worth a visit.

The park is in a great location for Green Hills and is frequented by many people throughout the…read moreyear. A dedicated group of volunteers called Friends of Green Hills Park has begun a revitalization effort within the park. Their goal is to improve the park experience in many ways, like adding structures, play features, & native plants. They are actively removing invasive trees, shrubs, and groundcovers and replacing them with native plants, which will bring more pollinators and birds to the park. The changes are noticeable and exciting. I look forward to seeing the park continue to improve. Our pollinators have struggled with so many yards being "Green Deserts;" They are green in color, but lifeless. We have vast, perfectly-mowed lawns and non-native shrubs pruned to look like meatballs. We plant very few native plants, so our birds and pollinators struggle to find food. Our birds need native plants to host their top food source, caterpillars! The volunteers are doing a great job and are happy to explain what they are doing and why it is important to our local ecosystem and sense of community. I'm so thrilled to think of butterflies, hummingbirds, native bees, and beautiful, flowering plants filling the park. Keep up the great work and thank you!

This park opened on the site of an old rock quarry, and was named Rock City Park, in 1966. It was…read morerenamed in 1972 to South Inglewood Park. It has 19 acres, a community center, a playground, public restrooms, picnic shelters, baseball diamonds, football/multipurpose fields, and a paved jogging/walking path. This park underwent an extensive renovation in 2008, and it still shows. The park is well maintained, and the fixtures are nice. The back end of the park is very hilly with a rolling terrain, which I'm sure will be gorgeous in bloom this spring.

South Inglewood Park isn't large and it isn't especially fancy. It doesn't even remotely approach…read morethe size or beauty of Shelby or Centennial Park, but it is a park, and I'm strongly pro-park! It does have two baseball fields and a pavilion, and if you live in the Inglewood/Cahal/Stratford area, it's a nice place to get out and enjoy the weather. Occasionally I like to get take-out from a nearby restaurant (like Chicago Style Gyros or Bailey & Cato) and picnic at South Inglewood. It's usually pretty abandoned, though there are occasionally kids or locals running about. South Inglewood Park is in a part of town that isn't...well, upscale. I've never seen any shady activity going on in or around this modest little park, however; though I wouldn't recommend going there at night. South Inglewood is really small, but it's pretty neat. Besides, who can complain when they squeeze a nice little park into your neighborhood?

England Park was opened in 2014, with 11.25 acres sitting in the Nations area of town. This whole…read morearea was devastated during the record flood of 2010, and as you stand on Delray Drive, imagine most of these houses were underwater in 2010, with little more than their roofs visible out of the water. The city of Nashville banned any future development in floodzones, and the city and the taxpayers purchased over 60 properties affected in this area alone. This park was named after Martha and Andy England, an elderly couple who drowned in their home during the flood. The project was especially successful thanks to the folks at make-a-smile.org who built the playgrounds. The park has a beautifully paved walkway, a small playground, and some picnic tables. It runs concurrent with Richland Creek.

Small park near the house. Parking for about 5 cars or so but there are plenty of trees and picnic…read moretables. Nice little park if you live in the area and want to walk on a paved track. There's also a creek that runs right behind it.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most unique parks in Nashville. It's only three acres, and was…read morefounded in 2013, but this is a GEM in East Nashville. There are several natural water springs in the area, and this plot of land was a bottling company for the water. It went out of business and the land was bought by the Nashville Parks Department. It then became this lush, overgrown, naturally wooded area. There are trails that snake around and loop around. Be aware of the shoes you wear, because there are some bits of broken glass around, but you will forget you are in the middle of busy bustling East Nashville. You will get lost, and feel like you are in a much bigger state park on a hike. It's an amazing experience, and there are signs around notating the history of the land without being too touristy and intrusive in the overall experience.

4.5 I had no idea…read morethis existed and, unless you live in the neighborhood (heck, maybe unless you live on the street), you probably don't either. Lockeland Springs Park is one of the most successful green reclamation projects I've encountered in Nashville. It gives life to the belief that the metro is made up of incredible green spaces in (most) every neighborhood. When I arrived at the dead-end, I saw a sign and that was it. 'Was this a joke?' I wondered. There was, what appeared to be, a path... but it looked a bit sketchy. I figured since I was coming here in the light of day and kids were engaging in organized play at the local school playground, my potential screams for help would be heard by *some*one and I wouldn't be Blair Witched. So, into the woods (without delay), I went. Wow. I would have loved this as a 9-10 year old. On the grounds of a former bottling plant, the city was able to create a green space that reminded me of A Bridge To Terabithia. The space is strewn with tree canopies, bridges, outdoor classrooms, plenty of wood creatures, streams, a fairy garden, and small trails that are perfect for weekend afternoons of adventure and play. I kept thinking how lucky the neighborhood kids must be to have such a perfect woodland scene for play. On a brisk fall afternoon, I gave in to my inner child and spent some time in a world of imagination I allow to live far too far away from me on a regular basis -- and I smiled all the while. This neighborhood park is utterly charming and spending some time visiting it improved my mood for an entire day. Reconnect with the you who had super powers, explored enchanted forests and/or went on brave odysseys. In a world filled with more than enough adult stressors, respites like Lockeland Springs Park are gravely needed.